tufts was evacuated due to an abundance of precaution because there was a suspic package, and the package was determined not to be a threat, so nobody has been arrested, and the emergency room is now open to patients. >> pelley: so it is 6:00 in the east. the president of the united states is expected to brief reporters at the white house in about 10 minutes, at about 10 minutes after 6:00. but, of course, this is a fluid situation, and these times are subject to changing. the boston mayor is also expected to have new information for us shortly, and as soon as we see either the mayor or the president, we will switch you directly to those news conferences. this is an act of terrorism. two bombs struck the boston mar thorn as runners were finishing, the bombs plant the in the crowd in an area right next to the finish line where there were hundreds if not thousands of people cheering the runners on.

one bomb exploded a little bit before 3:00, about 2:50, and then only seconds later a second bomb two blocks away, also exploded in the crowd. we were-- we were told by boston police some two hours ago that two people were killed but that is the the kind of thing that, unfortunately, is likely to change as time wears on. we have checked with the hospitals in the area, and by our tally, there are about 50 people who are wounded, being treated at the hospital. many are in critical condition. other are not as gravely wounded. we a number of pictures of the actual explosions themselves. let's go to the picture that we have of the first bomb complogd at the finish line. this is video that we received courtesy of the "boston globe" newspaper.

that's the finish line bomb. ( screams ) now listen for the next. ( explosion ) and there's the second bomb. it's about two blocks away, straight down the street. the boston police commissioner is telling us that they are questioning suspects. no one is in custody. no one has been arrested. but the boston police commissioner says that they are interviewing, questioning suspects. that's about all we know about that at the moment. we do not know who did this. there have been no credible claims of responsibility yet. we conot know if it was an act of terrorism inspired overseas or a domestic-- concludely inspired act of terrorism.

we have a piece of videotape that captured the audio of the second explosion. this tape begins after the first explosion. people are wondering what's going on, and then it captures the audio of the second explosion. let's listen in to that. >> something just blew up! ( explosion ) ( screams ). >> run! go! >> pelley: you could hear the lady say, something just blew up," and then of course the second blast, the sound of the blast, quite deafening, at that location. but it was about two blocks away. we have another videotape, a very short little clip of videotape of the first bomb exploding near the finish line. we'll show that to you now. there it goes, behind that blue fence, there are hundreds, if not thousands of people cheering the runners on.

look at the runner in the middle of the road there. the concussive force of the blast knocks him trait down t straight down to the ground. they are just shy of the finish line there. the vase a little over four hours in at this point. >> reporter: scott, one of the things that we're going to learn about this explosion, this pair of explosions in a very short order is going to be a little bit about that device. when you see that runner go down, there's two things that happen when a device goes off. one is the blast pressure. and that pushes out and that's the kind of thing that will knock people over. we'll also learn if there's shrapnel, and that would be nails, nuts and bolts, something you'd nut with that device, and they'll learn that at the emergency room when they start taking those pieces out of people, if in fact that kind of antipersonnel device was used. the second thing, after the blast pressure is what they call over-pressure, and with a great pushing out of the explosive force, there's also a great

sucking in that happens right after that, and that's where a lot of the injuries that emerge later come through. and i'll defer to dr. lapook on that. what you'll see is people who are very obviously injured by the explosion, but then 48 hours from now, you'll have people coming in suffering the beginning of traumatic brain injuries, problems with their ears, with business, with their vision, and those are going to be injuries from over-pressure, people that walked away in shock and didn't know know what happened to them gillette white house tells us the president will be appearing in the briefing room there at the white house in about five minute's time, and major garrett is there now. major. >> reporter: well, scott, the president has gone through a series of briefings this afternoon since first learning of this terrorist attack in boston shortly after 3:00 p.m. the first briefing came from lisa monaco, the pretty new white house counter-terrorism homeland security adviser. then he spoke with the f.b.i. director, robert mueller. then his homeland security secretary, janet napolitano.

the from the prt just recently spoke to speaker john boehner about 5:30 washington time about what he knows, and is discussing that with the speaker of the white house-- rather the speaker's office just released a photograph of that phone call. briefings throughout the afternoon for the president, and at 6:10 eastern time we expect the president to be in the briefing room to put this terrorist attack in some context for the american public. we are not expecting any broad declarations, other than this is an active investigation, perhaps criminal, perhaps terrorist, perhaps a little bit of both. the president will try to put this in context for the american public. we expect him to be in the briefing room any moment now gillette photograph you saw was the president speaking with robert mueller, the director of the f.b.i., who is presumably in his command center at f.b.i. headquarters a facility set up after 9/11 for exactly this kind of event. the president will be coming into the briefing recently shortly, and as soon as we see him walk through the door, we will switch you live to the white house to hear his

remarks. remarks. >> reporter: i think when you look at the team at the white house that's going to be handling its crisis management parent of this from the big picture from the white house,un, 30,000-foot level, i don't think you could have it more seamless. what you have is president obama, his new adviser on terrorism is lisa monaco. she has been at the department of justice as the chief prosecutor in the division that handles the lone wolf, domestic, and international terrorism al qaeda cases. she has a great depth in this. before that she was chief of staff to f.b.i. director robert mueller. so she also has an intimate understanding of how the f.b.i. operates in a major incident. on the flip side she's replacing john brennan, who is now director at the c.i.a. and he will be part of the machinery that reaches out for clues, if there are any, overseas. so you couldn't have a team that has worked together more closely between the f.b.i. director, deputy national security adviser for terrorism, the c.i.a.

director. none of this is going to be new to them. >> pelley: as we await the president in the briefing room, let's bring you up to date on what we know, a little before 3:00, 2:50, two bombs went off amid the crowd, cheering the runners of the boston marathon, on boylston street, right there by the finish line, one bomb separate from the the other by about two blocks. the finish line there at the bottom of the screen, that was the first explosion. 15 seconds later, the second explosion. about two blocks up boylston street. boston police say they recovered a third bomb, unexploded, and defused that. the police have said that two were killed, but we are given to understand that a number of people were in critical condition in the various hospitals, and, therefore, the number of people killed, unfortunately, is very likely to increase as the evening wears on. we have from our count at the hospitals around boston about 53

people who are being treated in emergency rooms, some of them in critical condition. some of them have suffered traumatic amputation of limbs in these twin blasts. there was an earlier report from the boston police that there was another explosion at the john f. kt library. we have now cleared up that. there was no explosion at the john f. kennedy library, at least not a bomb there. apparently there was a fire that occurred at exactly the same time in a mechanical room, just an accident, nobody hurt. and we'll be learning more about that as the evening wears on as well. but, apparently, this act of terrorism is centered on the boston marathon. the president will be coming into the briefing room in about one minute. our major garrett is there and we'll be switching to the president live as as soon as he comes into the briefing room. he has been speaking with his f.b.i. director robert mueller.

and they have been coordinating the federal response to all of this. two bombs, at least two dead, 50 wounded at the boston marathon today. in a terrorist attack just before 3:00 eastern time. >> reporter: scott, as we talk to other cities, los angeles is looking at upping security, chicago, washington, d.c., critical locations. and of course the london has the marathon coming up. >> pelley: and here comes the president into the briefing room. >> earlier today i was briefed by my homeland security team on the events in boston. we're continuing to monitor and respond to the situation as it unfolds. and i've directed the full resources of the federal government to help state and local authorities protect our people, increase security around the united states as necessary, and investigate what happened. the american people will say a prayer for boston tonight, and

michelle and i send our deepest thoughts and prayers to the families of the victims until the wake of this senseless loss. we don't yet have all the answers. but we do know that multiple people have been wounded, some gravely, in explosions at the boston marathon. i've spoken to f.b.i. director mueller, and secretary of homeland security napolitano, and they're mobilizing the appropriate resources to investigate and to respond. '05 updated leaders of congress in both parties, and we reaffirm that on days like this, there are no republicans, or democrats. we are americans unite and concerned for our fellow citizens. i've also spoken with governor patrick and mayor menino and made it clear that they have every single federal resource necessary to care for the victims and counsel the families, and i made clear to them that all americans stand with the people of boston. boston police, firefighteres, and first responders, as well as

the national guard, responded heroically, and continue to do so as we speak. it's a reminder that so many americans serve and sacrifice on our behalf every single day, without regard to their own safety, in dangerous and difficult circumstances. and we salute all those who assist in responding so quickly and professionally, to this tragedy. we still do not know who did this or why. and people shouldn't jump to conclusions before we have all the facts. but make no mistake-- we will get to the bottom of this, and we will find out who did this. we'll find out why they did this. any responsible individuals, any responsible groups will feel the full weight of justice. today's a holiday in massachusetts, patriot's day. it's a day that celebrates the free and fiercely independent spirit that this great american city of boston has reflected

from the earliest days of our nation, and it's a date that draws the world to boston streets in a spirit of friendly competition. boston is a tough and resilient town, so are its people. i'm supremely confident that bostonians will pull together, take care of each other, and move forward as one proud city and as they do, the american people will be with them every single step of the way. you can anticipate as we get more information, our teams will provide you briefings. we're still in the investigation stage at this point, but i just want to reiterate, we will find without did this. and we will hold them accountable. thank you very much. >> pelley: the president in the briefing room of the white house live, not taking questions. as he said, not a great deal known at this point in time. all americans, the president

said, stands with the people of boston. a terrorist attack at the boston marathon has killed at least two, likely more, at least 50 people are wounded in area hospitals, many in critical condition. some evidence of traumatic amputation among those most grave plea wounded. the bombs struck a little bit before 3:00. it was about 2:50 eastern tile. one bomb and then another. we have videotape of the explosion of the first bomb, and you hear the second bomb immediately thereafter. let's go to the videotape and show you what happened at the finish line. there's a short clip of video here that shows the explosion. the effect on the runners falling to the ground. hundreds of people in that crowd

behind the blue fence watching the finish of the boston marathon. we have another videotape of that first explosion. followed by the sound of the second explosion. that's the first. explosion. you see the smoke clearing there. and now as the camera begin begins to pan left, there is the smoke from the second explosion with two blocks away. it was on boylston street at the finish of the 26.2-mile boston marathon. here's the explosion again. that's the first one. listen for the second. ( screams ) ( explosion ) and there's the second. two blocks downtown road.

>> hey! three got to be people hurt out there! >> pelley: as you just heard the president say moments ago, we do not know who did this. it is an act of terrorism to be sure, but we do not know whether it is an act of domestic terrorism or an act of terrorism inspired overseas. it is interesting to note that it going into three hours and more after this, there has been no credible claim of responsibility. the president said we don't know who did this, but whoever it is will feel want full weight of justice. the words the president just a few minutes ago.

>> oh, my god. oh, my god. >> pelley: as terrible as this is, whoever planned it, planned it to be even worse. boston police tell us they found a third bomb unexploded which they have now safely defused. that bomb will undoubtedly be a wealth of evidence for the investigation as it goes forward. there was a report earlier in another news conference by the boston police that there was an explosion at the j.f.k. museum in boston, the john f. kennedy museum. but we now are told that, that was apparently an accidental fire in a mechanical room and that no one. hurt there, and, apparently, there was no bomb there. what we know at this point is,

at least three bombs targeting the last two blocks or so of the boston marathon. two exploded. one was discovered unexploded and is now in the hands of the police. john miller, going forward now, the president spoke just a moment ago about speaking with the f.b.i. director and all of the resources of the federal government. how do they move out? how quickly can they amass the information that they need in this investigation? . >> reporter: very quickly. and in fact, that can work in their favor, getting that information together, getting it fast, getting the data systems up there that are going to make all the leads that come in searchable. that's a good thing. it comes with a bad thing, which is they're going to have a massive amount of information coming in-- calls, tips, e-mails, things on twitter-- and that pile is going to grow, and that enhances the need nettle

hay stack kind of quality of these things. >> pelley: it is interesting to remember that tim mcveigh was found the evening of the explosion in oklahoma city, because evidence was found in the debris. a vin number off the vehicle that he had rented. f.b.i. agents were able to speak to the people who rented the vehicle in kansas. and by the end of the day, they knew who tim mcveigh was. >> reporter: or if you look at the 1993 truck bombing of the world trade centers that killed six and injured 1,000, there you have, you know, within really 72 hours a vin number found on a piece at the bottom of the rubble traced to a rented van in new jersey, and when they went to go find out who rented the van, they said the by was coming back to collect his deposit because he reported it stolen. that led to an entire cell of people that had to be tracked down around the world, including ramsey youseff, whose yunchgle

would later go on to plan 9/11 and the destruction of the world trade center. but it underlines your point it's clues are small things, and being good means you'll find one, and being lucky means you may find one faster. >> pelley: but even with these bombs that explode, in the hands of expertes, there's a lot of evidence there. >> reporter: that's true. they will be able to assemble those giepsz now, i watched those explosions a number of times very carefully. these not terribly large bombs, and those-- those fragments are going to be collectible. what they do is they fan out in a crime scene like that, and they find the furthest possible fragment of the bomb, and then they go out three times the length of that, figuring there's fragments further that they can't see, and they will do a grid search where they pick up anything as small as a piece of copper wirpper wire, a strand ed they'll put that together at the terrorist explosive device analysis center down in

chaos and carnage. twin explosions at the finish line of the boston marathon. >> tonight, the rising death toll as the investigation into what happened begins. hello, everybody. i'm denise koch. >> and i'm vic carter. here's what people are talking about tonight. >> wjz, along with cbs news, continues to follow the breaking news out of boston. two bombs explode out of the boston marathon. several people are dead, scores are injured. we're live with extensive coverage. kai jackson has more on an increase in securityux including here in baltimore. adam may speaks with local runners, caught up in the

chaos. but first, inez ferre has the latest on this casualty investigation. >> reporter: two explosions, about 15 seconds apart [ explosion ] rock the finish line of the boston marathon. >> these explosions occurred about 50 to 100 yards apart. and each scene resulted in multiple casualties. >> reporter: officers in camouflage uniforms lifted a fence, so emergency crews could get to several people who are injured. marathon workers used wheelchairs to take bloody victims to tents that had been set up for runners. >> a bomb went off. and it knocked me to the ground. and then, you know, everybody started running. there's some bad-looking people. and i'm praying for all of them. you know, we were all trying to put pressure on all the wounds for everybody, turn quiets and whatever -- tourniquets and whatever we could do. >> reporter: several runners who had not yet finished the race, were detoured from the

finish line. they could be seen crying. the winners had crossed the finish line hours earlier. police are asking everyone to stay inside. ines ferre, cbs news. >> and just moments ago, president obama addressed the situation from the white house. and here's what he had to say. >> we still do not know who did this or why. and people shouldn't jump to conclusions before we have all the facts. but make no mistake. we will get to the bottom of this. and we will find out who did this. we'll find out why they did this. any responsible individuals, any responsible groups, will feel the full weight of justice. >> and that was president obama at the white house. complete coverage continues now, with adam may, live in the newsroom. with more reaction from runners who were caught up in the chaos. adam? >> reporter: yeah, vic. hundreds of runners were involved, either participating in the race or watching the race.

i was able to get some on cell phone. the ones we were able to talk to said they were shocked by this attack. and some of them were very close to the explosion but they were okay. >> reporter: two explosions, within seconds of each other at the finish line of the boston marathon, turned one of the most celebrated races in the country into a scene of carnage. 448 runners from maryland, including 59 from baltimore, took part in the race. that includes peter mulligan from canton. >> i heard that explosion, the explosion, i just thought it was like a big, giant truck backfiring or something. >> reporter: mary hassler from harford county, was just down the street. >> adam, it was horrible. >> she was cheering on her daughter, who was running her first marathon. >> we were waiting for her to come. we gue knew based on her time that she should be turning the corner. we other than like, that's an explosion. and there's a second that followed right where we were. right down com avenue and

started calling her name. she is okay. >> reporter: images will stay with maryland eyewitnesses forever, including ryan mcgraph. >> kind of a weird scene. you have people who just finished this marathon, and you have this kind of lifelong achievement. and they're pretty excited. and we actually saw a few people come by running and crying, sirens, ambulances, fire trucks. reality, really chaotic. >> and a lot of people here in baltimore, and across maryland have been trying to get a hold of folks that were up there in boston, simply unable to get through because there was simply no cell phone service in that area. a lot of people took to social media, facebook and twitter. one of those people was rob santony, who owns a super market here in baltimore. he got on facebook to say he is okay. he actually crossed the finish line about 30 minutes before the blast. if you're concerned with someone who is up there and you haven't been able to get hold of them, they did set up a hotline up there in boston for family members to call.

617-635-4500. and they have folks up there that can take your calls. and they're checking in people up there to try to get people connected and let everyone know that everyone is okay. >> adam, thank you. it's good to know that people from baltimore are all okay at this point. witnesses on the scene are scribing the -- describing the chaos and horrific injuries to people caught in the explosion, including one man's father. >> he had injuries to his legs. it seemed like most people with lower extremities. and there were some bad-looking people. and he, you know, i'm praying for all of them. you know, we were all trying to put pressure on all the wounds for everybody, tourniquets and whatever we could do. it was chaos. >> reporter: so who got to your dad? and where did they take him? >> they took him to boston medical center, i believe they said. i, you know, helped carry him to the ambulance. >> he couldn't walk. >> no, no, no. they said put him in a wheelchair. we couldn't put him in a wheelchair.

there was no way. he waset going really cold. we were just trying to keep talking to him, keep him alert. >> our complete coverage of this terrorist attack continues with mary from the newsroom. >> reporter: the shots we're about to show you capture the explosions at the moment they go off. you can see runners approaching the finish line, when all of a sudden, there is an explosion at the sign, near the spectator bleaches. one of the runners actually falls to the ground. you saw that from the force of the blast. and perhaps some scrap nel -- shrapnel hits his leg. a few minutes later, another explosion, leaving many casualties in their wake. >> heard two big explosions. large plumes of dust. smoke, glass. obviously everybody was going crazy. at first, it almost sounded like a cannon blast. but it felt so strong, it literally almost blew my head off. and everybody started running the other way. there were a few people running over towards them to help out the injured. and there were some really bad, bad injuries.

>> yeah, behind those barricades were hundreds, if not thousands of spectators. denise, this is the finish line, where everybody congreigates. it's -- congregates. it's usually a very joyful place, where you finish this marathon with your loved ones. back to you. >> all right. thank you, mary. numerous reporters were already at the blast site. since it was the finish of the boston marathon. here is what two anchors from bbz television in -- wbz tv in boston saw. >> at first, i have to say, everybody's reaction around us, just stunned. nobody knew what had happened. and when they understood what had happened, that place cleared out. people started running because they were thinking, two bombs just went off and they were thinking, are there more? >> people from all different ages, jonathan. because it just caught everybody off guard. and you know, you just hope this man right here is okay. >> it was on the sidewalk.

whoever the device was, it was on sidewalk. so you have basically people spectators for this race. cheering people on at the finish line at the boston marathon. standing there when this device went off. >> and it blew out windows. there was glass everywhere. >> four down. four officers down. literally, it's got to be almost a block long of windows just blown out. and i remember, when we were standing at the tent, the triage tent, they were wheeling people down. those wheelchairs normally reserved for runners, having a hard time walking. getting them into the medic test. wondering doctors and nurses came running out of breath, hobbling. i'm a doctor, i'm a nurse, i can help with this. >> people will jump to it to try to help each other out. we're not used to seeing people cross the finish line with bloody faces. it's something on our minds for years to come but to see something like this. hopefully they will get to the

bottom of it. but it shook the city. >> now, police are urging people to stay indoors and not to congregate in large groups. >> and a news conference. >> we have activated our watch center. and we'll coordinate with all law enforcement agencies. i have personally been in contact with our local fbi, state police, county police, and there are no credible threats at this time to this area or to the city of baltimore. but it's prudent to take cautious steps. the baltimore police department is taking prudent steps to make sure that we are reasonable. we encourage people to carry out the normal day and to keep their regular schedules. there are no credible threats. i have to say that i was

extremely proud at the boston police department. when these explosions went off on tv. when normal people are running off, the men and women are courageous. running towards the event taking place. i would just like to applaud them in their courageous activities for being the heroes that they are. are there any questions we can answer? >> when you talk about the transportation system. on the transportation systems, are you just adding officers? or what does that entail? does that mean putting more people on overtime? >> one of the things that i think i wanted to share on that is to make sure that people are aware. what they will see is our s.w.a.t. officers in full gear. they would be in s.w.a.t. gear with automatic weapons. they will be working very closely with the mta police. the responsibility is to check

suspicious activities, check trash cans, check the perimeters. you also see our bomb dogs and k-9 officers working in the areas, too. any more questions? >> does that include training station in the airport? bwi is not in our jurisdiction. don't be surprised if you don't see that there. >> and this will continue for the foreseeable future? >> this will continue, and we'll make sure we'll do it hour by hour to make sure there are credible threats. you will certainly see them tonight and certainly see them tonight and tomorrow. and you'll probably see them until tomorrow evening, too. at this point, we will readjust with the confrontation with the mayor and to see if there are any threats that move on. if not, you will also see a heightened sense of awareness at the orioles game to make sure that we go there. and to see that the orioles will come out winners. we'll make sure they win the baseball to start off the season. are you asking to keep an

eye out? >> as you know, in our country, since 9/11, they asked to be diligent. and iand i think how we addressed this, they said if there is anything suspicious, to call us. if there is anything out of the norm, let us know. we will respond to them. we are also not only checking our rail lines but our infrastructure throughout the city. all the buildings, the railways, the petroleum lines. give us a call. anything strange like parked cars, let us know. >> that was police commissioner anthony bats. as you know, there are no credible threats here in baltimore. however, out of an abundance of caution, they are stepping up patrols, including areas of large gathering like orioles games. and of course, they are asking people to be diligent if you see something, say something, call police. wjz complete coverage continues now. live at m&t bank stadium.

>> meghan mccorkell has more. >> reporter: vic, we're right outside the stadium on what is known as ranks walk. ravens walk. this will be the finish line for the baltimore marathon when it runs in october. race organizers tell me there's usually about 30,000 to 40,000 people gathered here in this area, to cheer on the runners, as they cross the finish line. and this year, when the race runs in october, they say those spectators will definitely see some heightened security. >> this is going to have us ramp up security at the baltimore marathon. and we are no stranger to this. of course, the very first inaugural baltimore marathon occurred a month after 9/11. so we are at a heightened state of alert. at that issue. for that year. and then two years later, of course, we had the sniper issue. so we're a little bit familiar with this. and certainly we'll be very attentive to it.

>> reporter: and there certainly is already quite a bit of security at the baltimore marathon. 400 city police officers work the entire route. the emergency operations center is located right here at the finish line. they say the commissioner himself is usually here, helping patrol this area. but again, right now, organizers, looking for ways that they can heighten security in the wake of what has happened in boston. we're live at m&t bank stadium. i'm meghan mccorkell, wjz eyewitness news. >> and i'm sure we'll hear more as that event gets closer. well, the ongoing situation gets closer. our complete coverage continues with kai jackson in the newsroom with more on that. kai? >> public safety officials say they have moved to a state of heightened awareness. because of the events in boston this afternoon. this is video from the marathon in boston, when the bombings first occurred. security is now increased around the white house as well. where pennsylvania is shut down as a precaution. this would happen. if this happened at any other

city, this is typically what they would do in the white house. police are also increasing their presence. the founder and director of university of maryland center, for health and homeland security, michael greenberg spoke to wjz, this is a terrorist attack, no matter who did it, meaning no matter it it's domestic or abroad. and speaks of the potential for a threat to baltimore. >> no matter who did this, whether they're u.s. citizens or al qaeda or whomever, this is a terror attack. it's not who -- who perpetrated this, but how they pern traited it. -- perpetrated it. there was obviously something on this street that shouldn't have been there. and the public continually has to be vigilant to watch for strange objects that can lead to these kinds of disasters. they shouldn't be afraid. but they should be vigilant. i think a lot of this is a classic instruction you're given. if you see something that is something out of the ordinary, say something. and i think those of us who are living in baltimore have this

obligation as well. there should not be fear, but there should be vigilance. it could happen. >> wjz has this fresh video for you right now. sky eye chopper 13 is live over the inner harbor, where you see a police patrol, on guard right now. we have at least three probably tactical officers with the police dog as well. if you remember, police commissioner anthony bats said moments ago citizens can expect to see this out of an abundance of caution in the coming days. the other thing michael greenberger pointed out and commissioner bats pointed out as well. if you see something, say something. that's what citizens can do to make a difference in the event of a potential attack. no credible threats have been waged on baltimore as we know them. so far, there's been no claim of responsibility for the events at the boston marathon so far. back to you. >> thank you, kai. now, so many people this the area in boston could not believe what they were seeing this afternoon when this happened.

wbz reporter paul burton was actually running in the marathon and was approaching the finish line as the bombs exploded. >> 50 yards from the explosion, saw both of them go off. there was smoke. and glass everywhere. and we did not know what it was at first. we thought -- it sounded like a cannon going off. and we thought that was very strange because we never heard cannons go off at any time during this race. so we didn't know what to do. we kept on running. and then when the second explosion happened, we were stopped dead in our tracks. and that's when everyone started running in the opposite direction towards us. we were literally about 50 yards from the finish line, trying to finish this race. and we saw it all unfold. i watched how the smoke and the glass came across boylston street. my mother and my wife were in the grandstands watching this. they were about 15 feet from the explosion. it was terrifying. and obviously, there were a lot of injuries in this. all right.

that was the wbz anchor. now, wjz has the latest on the explosions that rocked the boston marathon. so far, as least two people are confirmed dead. dozens of others injured. several of those injuries are critical. police say two explosive devices went off, just seconds apart. people in boston tonight are being urged to stay home. there is no claim of responsibility as of yet. there is heightened security up and down the entire east coast tonight, including in baltimore. we invite you to stay with wjz and cbs news for complete coverage of the explosion at the end of the boston marathon. we will continue to update you on all major developments. and of course, make sure to tune in tonight at 7:00 for a special hour-long edition of the cbs evening news with scott pelley. and still to come tonight on wjz's eyewitness news. we'll continue to follow that breaking news out of boston. stay with us. we'll be right back. ,,,,,,,,,,,

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wjz is continuing to follow the developing story out of boston. two people were killed following two bomb blasts near the marathon finish line. at least 69 people were wounded. the blast happened just before 3:00 this afternoon. about an hour later, a fire broke out at john f. kennedy library, several miles away. boston's police commissioner says the jfk library fire does not appear to be related to the

race explosions. no injuries were reported there. a u.s. intelligence official said that two explosive devices were found near the marathon finish line. volunteer nurses on hand for the marathon come to the rescue of many of the injured. and mary has more on their large role from the newsroom. >> the volunteer nurses rushed into the crowd of victims, as soon as the explosions happened. really not having... [ no audio ] [ please stand by ] >> we took care of the ones that we could and got them into the ambulances as soon as possible. >> i think what really surprised me was the number of people and just the -- really the amount of blood that the amount of injuries. but everybody really was working together as a team. even though it was chaotic. it was organized chaos. >> and according to the boston

athletic association, 1300 medical personnel were on the scene for the race. we've seen the video of them, rushing forward to help the injured while all of us, the rest of us, were running away from that scene. the runners and some of the spectators. back to you. >> okay. thank you, mary. we will continue to bring you updates on this still- developing story throughout the evening at cbsbaltimore.com.

let's take a quick look at the weather. temperatures are below normal. east winds have kept it rather cool and rather cloudy side. after a light sprinkle activity this morning. 54 in elkton. temperatures generally in the upper 50s to low 60s. and it will get a few degrees cooler tonight. probably upper 40s in some spots. east winds continue to bring in that moisture from the ocean. tomorrow, we expect the wind to shift a little from the south and southeast. there may be a shower late in the day or late tomorrow night, as another front approaches us from the west. already, you can see the line of showers from chicago down through portions of missouri. further west, guess what. it's winter all over again. another snowstorm for the rockies and northern plains. and near blizzard conditions in some spots. we had a weak little system move through this morning. gave us a couple of sprinkles. that's moved off. we're still left with a lot of clouds. could the east winds keep the low level moisture? and tomorrow, we'll see sun. and tomorrow night, looks like

the front could give us maybe a shower. perhaps a thundershower. better chance on wednesday. the front actually lines up really close to us. and it will get warmer. temperatures back in the 70s. maybe even mid- to upper 70s here by the middle of the week. south winds on the bay. gusting to 20 knots. bay temp around 55 degrees. overnight tonight, let's call it mostly cloudy. down around 55 degrees. 70 tomorrow. could be a stray shower by late in the day. but certainly warmer than it was this afternoon. we're only in the mid-60s. tomorrow back up to 57 degrees. next five days, pretty nice temperatures headed our way. particularly 76 wednesday where a chance of shower or thundershower. kind of spring-like. 72, 74. another chance by friday night of shower activity in the region. then it cools down, just like it did this past weekend. with sunny to partly sunny skies. looks like a high saturday, cooler than average, only 62. and 38 saturday flate. now -- night. if you are still interested in

putting out those annual plant, i would still wait until the first week of may. we still have the risk of frost, okay? >> okay. 38 getting close. thank you, bob. still to come on wjz eyewitness news. we'll have much more on the terrorist attack in boston. complete coverage continues after this. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

the streets of do you want boston look like a war tonight, with bloody debris on the streets earlier.

our live complete coverage continues. renee marsh continues for wjz on this still of unfolding story. >> not far from the end of the 26.2-mile boston they're thon-- marathon monday, with the finish line nearly in site, came something unexpected. two explosions nearly within seconds of each other on the scene. they caused serious injuries enough to send people to the hospital. >> at first, it sounded like a cannon blast. but it felt so strong, it nearly blew my head off. people started running the other way. some went to help out the injured. and there were some really bad, bad injuries. >> reporter: the force of the explosions caused a billowing cloud of smoke over copley square and rising panic. >> everyone started to scramble. there is a mad push to get people away from the scene, not knowing if there are more explosions to come. >> reporter: many of the more than 26,000 registered athletes were still working to complete the course. police cleared the vicinity and moved into the first steps of the investigation.

and the subway service to the area shut down. i'm renee marsh reporting. >> and up and down the east coast and in the city of baltimore, there is a heightened state of awareness. although there is no credible information that there is any threat to the city of baltimore. the blast happened about two minutes apart in copley square. one witness, whose father was a participant in the race talks about what he saw and heard. >> i decided i wanted to walk a you queue few yards a -- away to get a better picture of the finish line. and i just walked away, 15 feed away, 20 feet. and you know, a bomb went off. ask and it knocked me to the ground. and then, you know, everybody started running. panicking. and my first instinct, i knew where the bomb went off. and they were standing right there. and i started to go back that way, towards it. and another bomb went off. and then i fell to the ground again. people running. you know, you were getting

trampled and stuff. >> shortly after the explosions, the secret service shut down, pennsylvania avenue, outside of the white house. the third explosion reported at jfk library. but that was not ruled as part of the marathon attack. there were no reports of injuries there at jfk airport. or jfk library. boston police and federal authorities converge on the scene and are now searching for clues to who is behind these explosions. mary is live in the newsroom with the latest information. >> reporter: boston's police commissioner wrapped up a news conference, just a short time ago, with an update on the investigation so far. and a warning for people in boston. >> we're recommending to people that they stay home. that if they're in hotels in the area, that they return to their rooms, and that they don't go any place and congregate in large crowds. we want to make sure that we comeetdly stabilize the situation. >> as spectators ran from the scene, many of them left behind bags or backpacks. the police commissioner says each of those bags is being

treated as a suspicious device and is being inspected. and wjz just got this word out of baltimore county. as a result of today's tragic events in boston, police chief jim johnson, has directed all commanders to begin effective immediately, checks on critical infrastructure sites in baltimore. these checks are a precaution, following the incident in boston. we know there is also heightened awareness in baltimore city. no information at this time to indicate any threat to any of the baltimore region. vic, back to you. >> okay, mary. thank you. and the minutes after the blast were, of course, caon chaotic. here's what it felt like to be in the middle of the chaos.

[ a lot of explosion ] -- -- commotion ] >> we've had an attack. [ sirens ] [ chaos ] >> oh, my god. oh, my god. oh, my god. oh, my god. [ sirens ]

[ sirenning sirens ] [ sirens ] >> oh, my god. >> very compelling video somebody took who was right there when the bombing happened. now, so far, there are no credible claims of responsibility to the bombing at the boston marathon. and kai is in the newsroom with more on what pieces of evidence, investigators will be looking into. kai? >> reporter: denise, so far, the biggest source of evidence is the unexploded device that police found moments after the explosion. as cbs news bob or explains, investigators may find clues from the surveillance video taken at the scene. >> on the subject of potential suspects, we have one law enforcement official. and i want to say -- we want to be very clear here about what we know and what we're a little

shaky on. we have one law enforcement official who has told us there is a surveillance photo of someone, described as a male, we believe, carrying what looked to be a couple of backpacks in the vicinity of where these explosions took place in the minutes prior to the explosions. that's important. because if they have some kind of suspicious person on a surveillance loop or a surveillance photo, the fbi, the police can circulate that there, among all police agencies. perhaps even among spectators. how much they want to tip their hand, i don't know. and that could lead them somewhere. >> now, boston police say they have also received at this time, no information prior to the race about a potential attack. vic, earlier today, i had an opportunity to talk with professor michael greenberger. he's a professor at the university of maryland here in baltimore in their counterterrorism department. and earlier, perhaps, like say

maybe two hours ago, he was convinced at that time, there was no question in his mind based on what he had seen that this was a terrorist attack. he was a counterterrorist expert in the clinton administration. he said two things obama echoed. that is trying to find out who is responsible and what y this attack occurred. >> and police say they are interviewing people but no arrests, obviously, have been made at this point. here is the very latest no now on the boston marathon explosions. two people are confirmed dead. several dozen people are hurt at area hospitals being treated at this very moment. two more bombs were found in the area and were dismantled. cell phone service in the area, shut down to prevent any potential remote detonations of bombs. it's unclear who is behind these attacks of terrorism. and of course, the department of homeland security is investigating. we invite you to stay with wjz for complete coverage of the boston marathon explosions. we'll bring you the very latest on the still-developing story in